2024 RDGA Leading the Way Award honoree, Sharon White.
Although golfers were met with wet, rainy conditions throughout the day, this year’s RDGA Women’s Open concluded – as it always does – on a very positive note, recognizing one of the local community’s more active women’s golf administrators – long-time RDGA Board Member Sharon White – with the annual RDGA Leading The Way Award.
A field of 112 golfers teed it up for the annual “Celebration of Women’s Golf in Rochester” – the 2024 Women’s Open, hosted this year by the famed Locust Hill Country Club on Monday, September 23 – and despite the steady drizzle of rain throughout the day, a fun time was had by all on the course that once hosted the annual Wegmans LPGA tournament for nearly 40 years.
Competition was conducted in two Divisions, based on preferred tee lengths – the longer Gold Tees, or the shorter Forward Combo Tees. Within each Division, competition was additionally separated into two categories: Gross score results and Net score results – with champions and prizes being determined in each.
The Forward Combo Tee Division attracted the larger portion of the overall field this year, with 89 of the 112-player field competing for top honors.
Coming in with the lowest Gross score round of the day was Maggie Kril of Durand Eastman Golf Club. The 2016 RDGA Women’s Senior Champion posted a score of 86 to win the competition by 4 shots over two players tied for second at 90: Lisa Webb of Clifton Springs and Nancy Booth of the LPGA Amateurs of Rochester.
CLICK HERE for complete results from the 2024 RDGA Women’s Open at Locust Hill Country Club – including leaderboards, skins results and updated Player of the Year Points!
On the Net Score side of the Forward Combo Tee Division, another Durand Eastman member, Heather Evans, emerged with a one-shot victory over Shadow Lake’s Donna Deedee-Doyle, posting a winning net score of even-par 74.
Division Champions from the 2024 RDGA Women’s Open at Locust Hill, left to right: Audrey Clarke (Gold Tee, Gross Score results), Michaela Hockenberger (Gold Tee, Net Score), Maggie Kril (Forward Combo Tee, Gross Score) and Heather Evans (Forward Combo Tee, Net Score). Not pictured: Gold Tee, Gross Score co-champions Tina Lambert and Jennie Piao.
The other 24 golfers in the field on Monday competed in the Gold Tee Division. As the longer tee set of the two Divisions, the top 15 finishers in the Gross score category of the Gold Tee players also earned points towards the RDGA Women’s and RDGA Senior Women’s Player of the Year awards.
In the Net Score category of the Gold Tee Division, the top honors this year went to a first-time RDGA competitor, Michaela Hockenberger of Brook-Lea Country Club. Hockenberger finished with a 1-over-par net score of 75 – one shot better than past Women’s Open titleist Deb Wood of Hickory Ridge – and took home the Women’s Open Gold Tee -Net results title for 2024.
This year’s Gold Tee Gross score competition featured – as it usually does – a tightly-contested race. In fact, the competition was so close that it ended in a three-way tie for first. Due to the competitive nature of this Division – and the fact that conditions were less than optimal for scoring – the decision was made to award all three first place finishers with the Division title. The three golfers finishing in first place with scores of 82 were Audrey Clarke of Morgan’s Crossing, Tina Lambert of Stafford and Jennie Piao, a 15-year-old RDGA Junior Member.
Following golf, the players’ focus turned to the annual post-round Women’s Open dinner, inside the Locust Hill clubhouse. As part of the dinner, the evening’s program included a tribute to this year’s RDGA Leading the Way Award winner – long-time women’s golf administrator, course rater, Board Member and volunteer, Sharon White.
Created in 2018, the RDGA Leading The Way Award annually honors an individual in the Rochester community who has worked tirelessly to grow the game of golf for women and men. Past award recipients include Dianne Wilde, Shirley Durham, Debby Murphy, Julie Odenbach, Joan LeRoy and Jane Gorsline.
White, this year’s honoree, joined the RDGA Board of Directors in late 2014, working to bring back the RDGA Delegate program. Since then, that committee has changed its focus, as the organizational structure of the RDGA has changed, to Volunteers, as it is today. Pre-dating her time on the Board, Sharon had been an RDGA Course Rating volunteer for 10 years, a lead rater for 7, and is now the Assistant Course Rater. Always thinking of women’s equality, Sharon initially helped with the RDGA Women’s Friendly Course Evaluation program and now serves on the RDGA Women’s Committee.
Today, Sharon resides in Ontario with her husband, John. They have children and grandchildren who live in the area. Not taking up the game of golf until her kids were grown and she retired from a career at Wegmans, Sharon now participates in several RDGA Women’s tournaments and stays involved in many volunteer activities, which keeps her very busy.
“I feel my volunteering is what I cherish the most and is my best asset,” Sharon said. “I volunteer for what is important to me at any time. Whether it is volunteering for the Board, doing the Volunteer program, Rating golf courses, helping courses put in Forward tees, advocating for Women, volunteering for Elections, volunteering at Church, volunteering in my town and on the course picking up Litter. I have a road I clean in Ontario and I always leave a course better than I found it. I hope to be remembered by what I did for others.”
Sharon White accepts her RDGA Leading the Way Award at the 2024 RDGA Women’s Open at Locust Hill Country Club.
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RDGA Women members of all ages and golf abilities are welcome to join us for the 12th annual RDGA Women’s Open. Stay tuned for details – including date and host course – when the 2025 RDGA Tournament schedule is announced on February 1.
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